Puffer Struggling To Eat

[bullit]

as above. ive had a little dwalf puffer for a while now but hes started to struggle eating. hes always gobbled his food up but the last week he grabs it and then spitts it out. it goes in his mouth a bit but he hardly eats any. hes getting rather thin. any ideas. not sure if i read they need to naw on something to keep teeth sharp? cheers

 

[kiriyama]

What sort of food do you usually feed him ?

 

[bullit]

bloodworm mate

 

[rdp50734]

Do you ever feed snails?

 

[bullit]

i dont, no. what sort?

 

[rdp50734]

pest snails such as pond and malaysian trumpet snails. It helps grind down the teeth of the puffer. From the sounds of it its teeth are already too long and its impairing it feeding. you may have to cut its teeth down yourself I'l try to find a link to how to do it! Can you see the size of its teeth at present?

http/aquariums.suite101.com/article.cfm/taking_care_of_puffer_fish_teeth

This is what I found although I have never done this myself! Good luck and maybe someone with more experience can guide you a bit better!

 

[bullit]

tbh i cant really see in his mouth but it looks like it stays slightly open. would getting snails first help at all do you think before giving it a go? hes tiny you see at 2cm lol. dont want to lose him though. cheers

 

[rdp50734]

I really dont know mate, are you keeping him in freshwater or brackish? You could try the snails but I dont know much about puffers! Is its belly sunken in? How long have you had him?

 

[bullit]

hes in fresh water. had him about 4-5 months. hes thin all over tbh. ill try a snail later or tomoz. cheers f0r help

 

[rdp50734]

Most puffers need to be in brackish from what I've read. What type of puffer do you have is a a green spot?

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/90950-dwarf-puffer/

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/86805-green-spotted-puffers/

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/79683-red-eye-puffers/

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/98398-figure-8-puffer/

Any of these?

 

[bullit]

its the top one of those so trimming teeth is gonna be impossible i think.

 

[rdp50734]

It should be doable if you follow the instructions, a nail clippers will do, just use patience and a steady hand!

 

[lilacamy931]

Hiya try to make sure it is its beak before doing anything as these are such tiny creatures! If it is the beak I doubt the snails will owrk bu do give anything a go. If you are uncertain if it is the beak try different foods and also soaking in garlic juice puree.

Can I ask what are the water parameters, set up and also how often are you feeding? Ive kept dwarves and from keeping them and reading it is unusual for this species to get overgrown beaks espcially in that short a time. Do check on the mouth as it could be something else...

 

[spike123]

how much bloodworm do you feed him at a time? is he kept with other fish?
mine are fed on quarter cube of bloodworm every day (i have 10)and snail each every week or so.
ive never herd of dwarf puffers having beak problems befor but from what ive heard they dont.could be very wrong so sorry if the advice is bad.try a 70% water change clean the filter things like that.
what set up are they in?
spike123

 

[bullit]

Hiya try to make sure it is its beak before doing anything as these are such tiny creatures! If it is the beak I doubt the snails will owrk bu do give anything a go. If you are uncertain if it is the beak try different foods and also soaking in garlic juice puree.

Can I ask what are the water parameters, set up and also how often are you feeding? Ive kept dwarves and from keeping them and reading it is unusual for this species to get overgrown beaks espcially in that short a time. Do check on the mouth as it could be something else...

ill test t0m0z. setup is 10 gallen tank with 0ne piece 0f b0gw00d and heavily planted. i have an algae eater and 7 ne0ns in there. i feed every 0ther day.

how much bloodworm do you feed him at a time? is he kept with other fish?
mine are fed on quarter cube of bloodworm every day (i have 10)and snail each every week or so.
ive never herd of dwarf puffers having beak problems befor but from what ive heard they dont.could be very wrong so sorry if the advice is bad.try a 70% water change clean the filter things like that.
what set up are they in?
spike123

i just cut a small piece 0f a tab as the ne0ns eat it aswell. set up as ab0ve. the 0nly 0ther thing that i can think 0f is hes g0t stressed because 0f the ne0ns. theyve n0t been in that l0ng, n0t sure 0n time but they are quicker t0 the f00d and try take it 0ff him when hes eating aswel. because 0f that ive g0t all the ne0ns in a net n0w. ive just d0ne a water change and will test t0m0z. shall i carry 0n with small frequent water changes?